For staff-strapped and cash-conscious police and fire departments, false alarm runs have become a major issue.

October is False Alarm Awareness Month at the Tredyffrin Police Department (TPD), which answered over 560 false alarms this year through August.

So far in 2012, TPD has averaged 65 false alarms per month from commercial businesses (including burglar, hold-up and panic alarms) and 41 a month from residential security systems. August saw the highest number of business calls with 110, while July saw a year-high 96 residential calls.

“The volume has crept up to such a degree that we’ve had to take notice,” TPD Superintendent Anthony Giaimo said.

Advertisement

To make matters worse, there are a lot of repeat offenders. Of the 346 commercial false alarms through August, 177 (51 percent) came from locations with at least one previous call. The residential rate of repeat false alarms is lower (27 percent), but still adds many unnecessary runs.

Two to three TPD officers respond to each call, and they can be tied up anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes.

“Multiply that by how many times we do it in a month, and you have a very large portion of time that could be used for other emergency responses and other things,” Giaimo said. “It’s not only us, but it’s the fire department as well.”

Calls answered by the Berwyn Fire Co., which primarily serves Tredyffrin and Easttown townships, are also emblematic of the problem. Of the 532 fire runs made through August, 203 (39 percent) were false alarms. August itself was even worse, as 23 of 46 (50 percent) were false calls.

Giaimo said responding officers try to be flexible, but there are penalties in place for residents or business owners who have frequent false alarms. The scale ranges from a first-offense warning up to a $1,100 fine for a seventh or any subsequent call from a commercial property.

While the fees help even things out, they don’t cover everything.

“Generally, we’re still at a deficit, just because it’s tough to get a handle on it,” Giaimo said. “There are fixed costs with sending officers, but what it takes them away from, that’s a cost, too.”

Giaimo suggests that anyone or any business that hasn’t had their alarm system serviced should do so. While many factors can lead to an alarm going off, elements such as dust and cobwebs can cause an activation.

“Many simple steps can be taken to make sure these things don’t happen,” Giaimo said. “We want to make it clear that we want them to keep their alarms hooked up, and we’ll provide as much information as we can to assure that they function properly.”